Targeted
by Silver Sentinel
Summary: A mysterious assailant targets The Star Fox team for unknown reasons, and one by one he tries to pick them off. Who is he and what are his plans against them?
1. An Assassin

A door opened and the bright rays of the sun were in their vision. A Doberman, dressed in a window cleaner's uniform, walked out first and inspected the roof of the building they were on. The roof had a gravel floor, rails on the edges of the roof, a couple of vents that shot out steam, and a helipad in the middle. It was completely empty up there, so he motioned for the others to follow. Four others came running out, a dark feline, gray husky, jaguar, and a mouse, they ran over to the edge, carrying a couple of duffle bags. "Set up right here," the Doberman commanded.

They all then started to open the bags and take out the equipment inside. One bag held submachine guns, MP5's and P90's, while the second held some repelling rope. As they were setting up the feline looked up at the Doberman, "Major, what about Sgt. Freeman?"

"Hold on I'll get on that," he said as he turned on his radio and inputted a frequency. He heard static, and then it started to clear up, "Sgt. Freeman you there?"

There was more static then a voice came through, _"Jason I told you to call me by my first name."_

Jason just sighed deeply at that, "Marcus I told you that when we're in the field we have to address each other like that."

_"But sill…"_

"Did you managed to shut down the security?" he interrupted.

_"Yes, I'm heading your way now."_

"How long will it take?"

Just then they all heard a loud sound by the vents. They looked over to see one of the covers on the floor. A gray coyote, wearing the same outfit as them, then climbed out and dusted himself off. He looked over and started walking over to them, "that long," he said.

"Bout time Marcus," the feline said.

"Yeah, yeah Nick I know." It has been a couple of months since the whole cat and mouse game at the harbor, and Marcus was doing great. He took the General's offer and joined the military. He worked his way up and made Sergeant status within that time. He looked at Jason, "how was everything else?"

"It went perfect, how about things on your end?"

"Solid, all security is offline, so we won't have to worry about anything."

"Good…alright gather around!" Jason yelled as the whole team formed a circle. He then took a small hollow disk and held it out in his hand. He turned it on and an image of General Peppers head appeared. "General we're at the location."

_"Did anyone recognize any of you?"_

"No, the disguises worked, they have no idea who we are."

_"Good, now let me go over your objective again. Your target is a leopard named Otto; he's wanted for smuggling weapons from planet to planet. He's currently having a meeting in the building you're on top of. You are to repeal down the side of the building and disrupt the meeting, apprehend him and bring him in Alive."_

"What about the security personal he has?" Nick asked.

_"They're expendable, but remember no civilian casualties. Report back when you've completed your objective, out."_

The image disappeared as Jason put the disk away, "you heard him, get ready." They all went back over to the rail and started tying off the ropes. Jason looked over a Marcus, "do you have the explosive?"

"Yes, just give me the signal and I'll blow the window." The glass, which they had to break through, was double paned and bulletproof, so they had to use a satchel charge to blow it open.

Once all the ropes were secure they all started to pass out the weapons and secure them to themselves. They threw the ropes over the rails as they crossed over. They held on tight as they jumped back and started to repeal down the large skyscraper. They descended more and more and a soon they saw a concrete ledge beneath them. They all stopped directly above the window, which they had to enter. Jason looked over to Marcus, "go, once you planted the charge take cover!"

Marcus nodded as he made one more big jump as he landed on the ledge and unhooked himself. He took a quick glance inside and saw five of them, in suits, sitting at a large oval table. He also saw more suits standing around the room, about seven of them, most likely the security. Marcus then took the satchel charge and planted it on the window. He took the detonator and ran to the side, at a safe distance, and pressed the button.

***BANG!!***

The loud explosion was heard, mixed with the sound of shattering glass. "Now!" Jason yelled out as himself and the others jumped and landed on the ledge. They unhooked themselves and took out their guns and began shooting at the security personal. They ran in and took cover behind whatever cover they could find, whether it was the support columns, or turned over furniture. What was left of the security, which was four because of the explosion, did the same as they took out their own guns and returned fire. Jason was behind one of the support columns, firing blindly. As he reloaded he yelled, "Nick, frag them!"

He nodded as he pulled out his grenade, pulled the pin, waited three seconds and then threw it. After two seconds the grenade exploded, and they saw that it took two of them.

Marcus was behind an over turned couch as he looked up and saw the last two were distracted. He took a chance and fired at them, killing only one. The last guard stood and started backing up but Jason saw that and fired a bullet straight into the guy's head, making him fall lifeless to the ground with a loud thump. All the fire ceased as silence fell upon the room. All of a sudden they saw their target bolt, from underneath the main table, and headed to the door. They pursed him as they saw that he ran through the door, but stopped when the doors burst open reveling a bear holding a chain gun.

"Take cover!" Jason yelled as the bear opened fired, causing destruction at whatever it hit. Nick and Marcus were behind the over turned table, with their backs against it. "How do we get this guy!?" Nick shouted.

Marcus pulled out a grenade, "just throw!" he pulled the pin and threw it, followed by Nick.

After a coupled of seconds two explosions were made and the fire ceased. They looked but the bear was still standing, so they all opened fired at him. They loaded a lot of rounds before he went down.

Jason jumped out of cover as he rushed to the door, "form up!" they all rushed over and started running out in a straight line as they followed the target's path.

Otto reached the the center of the building, which was a giant circle that showed all the floors below. He ran around to the other side, where the elevators were. He ran to the closest one and franticly pressed the buttons on there. He heard a beep, as the doors open, he rushed over but was greeted by someone.

Jason's squad had made it to the foyer in time to hear a loud bang. They looked across and saw the target's body fly back on the railing and then over, falling all the way down. They looked back over at the elevator and saw someone inside, but they couldn't identify him because of a black cloak he was wearing. "Who is that!" one of the other men yelled.

"Come on!" Jason yelled as they all ran around to where he was but the doors closed when they arrived there. Nicked pressed the button while Jason looked over the rail and could see body on the main floor. He then took out the disk and called the General. His image was shown, "Sir we have a problem! The target has been assassinated!"

_"What! I told you not to-"_

"It wasn't us, some unidentified assailant did it!"

_"What did he look like!?"_ he said back quickly.

"We couldn't get a good look, all we know is that he's wearing a black cloak."

That made the General go silent for a sec before resuming, _"New objective! Pursue and capture the assassin at once!"_

"On it! Out!" he turned the disk off and put it away, and turned to his team. "Boys we have to catch that guy now. It'll be a lot faster if we take the stairs. Marcus stay here and tell us which floor he stops on! Lets hurry!" they all ran over the door that was marked 'stairs'. They busted through as they rushed up. Jason took out his radio and dialed Marcus's frequency, "Marcus where's he going!?"

"…He stopped on the top floor! I'll meet you all there."

"Got it, out!" he shut it off as they continued their accent to the top.

Once at the top they pushed through the door and found themselves on the roof again. They all saw him standing in the middle of the helipad, as they all lined up and aim at him. "Freeze!" Jason yelled out.

They could see him only wearing a black cloak, with a hood. He stood there without no worries but then swiftly turned to them and unloaded at them. They all took cover as he fired, a riot shotgun. Jason took cover behind one of the vents while the rest went back inside. They couldn't see the attacker as he started to back up while still firing. It stopped suddenly, but then they relished that he ran out of ammo, "drop him!" Jason yelled as they all came out and started firing at him. The attacker started back flipping, miraculously dodging every bullet that came his way.

They all watched in shock as they saw him, intentionally, flip over the edge. They stopped and didn't move after what they saw. Slowly they started moving forward, one by one. The sound of a ship was heard as they watched as the assailant slowly floated up. They saw a small ship underneath him, and he was holding something. Jason looked closely at the object, then his eyes widen, "Grenade launcher! Take cover!"

They all ran as the guy pointed the weapon at them and pulled the trigger. A small explosion was made, but none of Jason's men was hit. The guy reloaded another shell and fired again. He let loose a few more rounds, as there was small patches of fire on the roof. He took one good look at the scene before he rode the ship out of the area.

Jason and the others come out from cover as they walked around. "Who was that guy?!" one of the soldiers asked.

"I don't know," Jason responded. "But he's good…real good.

Just then Marcus arrived and approached the group, "what happened!?"

Nick turned to him, "he escaped."

Jason didn't pay any attention to them as he pulled out the hollow disk, "General…the target escaped. We don't know who he was but he's good."

_"That's unfortunate…make yourself scarce and get out there now!"_

"On it!" he said as he turned it off. "Alright lets get out of here, head for our extraction point!" they all rushed to the roof's door and ran through. They all went through but Jason stopped to look at the damaged roof. _'I don't know who you are but I'll get you next time' _he thought as he ran and joined his team.

**_A/N: Hope you like. this one might be off because i haven't really formed it all yet, but i'll figure it out. next one will come out soon._**


	2. First Strike

Silence fell upon Fox and Alex as they slowly circled each other. They were alone inside the gym section of the Great Fox, sparring against each other. Alex stopped and charged at Fox, but he counter by moving to the side and holding his leg out. Alex saw it and jumped over into a roll and recovered. They moved closer as Fox threw a right hook, which Alex ducked at and threw an uppercut. Fox moved back, grabbed his arm and pulled back, flipping Alex. They both recovered and Alex did a jump spin kick but Fox ducked and responded with a leg sweep. Alex fell down on the mat and rolled back to his feet. He stood up and saw Fox throw a punch at him. He grabbed his fist and flipped him, but Fox landed on his feet and, while holding his arm, flipped Alex also. But he managed to also land on his feet and brake free. They backed up as they faced each other again. Fox smiled as they finished, "That was good."

Alex smiled as well, "Yeah, we can't beat each other yet." Every time they sparred against each other they were evenly matched and couldn't defeat each other, but they didn't care about it for the time being.

They both walked over to a nearby wooden bench and sat down. Alex took a bottle of water that was there and started drinking it down. He made a satisfying sigh after feeling the cool liquid flow down his parched throat. "So you have anything planned tonight?" Fox asked.

Alex took a small towel that was on the bench, and started wiping the sweat off of his fur, "Yeah, me and Falco are going into town to shoot some stick, you want to come?"

He shook his head while doing the same thing, "nah, I plan on having a peaceful night here."

Alex smirked, "with Krystal?"

Fox started to blush through his fur at that moment, "uh…yeah…"

Alex started to laugh, "man you two are definitely spending more time with each other now." After some more training Krystal showed improvements in terms of flying and marksmanship, so Fox decided it was time to let her finally join the team. That moment brought them both closer in a way no one else could describe. Knowing that she was there with him on missions made him at ease for unknown reasons.

"Come on cut me some slack, you're starting to date Sarah now!" He shot back. Ever since the time Alex and Sarah met again they been spending more time together. Mostly going to local cafés, movies, and walks but only as friends.

He sighed in annoyance after hearing that comment, "I told you that we're not dating…we're just hanging out!"

"Sure," Fox said in a joking manner.

Alex stood up as he started to walk out of the room, not wanting to hear it anymore. "See you later."

Fox shook his head in amusement as he rose and left the gym also.

**Unknown Location**

The cloaked assassin entered his hideout, which was an abandoned apartment complex, on the top floor. He entered one room that was packed with weapons, ranging from blades to blasters, all hanging on the walls. In the center of the room was an opened laptop on a small tray, which had a blank screen. He walked over, while taking off his hood reveling a silver lupine underneath. He placed his hands on the keyboard and typed in some commands and a video screen appeared. He stood as a shadowed figure appeared on the screen; the person was in the dark so he couldn't be identified. _"How did it go?" _the figure asked, in a menacing voice.

"The target's dead like you instructed," the lupine responded in a low, gruff voice.

"_Good, you're a lot better then I anticipated."_

"What about my payment?!" he demanded.

"Don't worry, it'll be transferred to you after this transmission…now I think you're ready for the real targets I have for you."

"Just name it and I'll take care of it," he was starting to get impatient with waiting.

"Now just to let you know…this is a special job that no one else knows about, and it has to stay like that! It'll be tough for you but I know you'll get it done."

"Who and how much will it pay?"

"_I've already sent the information to you. Call me back when it's done." _After those words the image disappeared.

The lupine growled angrily, he hated it when his contact did that, which was all the time. His ears then caught the sound of a beep as he looked over at the printer next to the laptop. A piece of paper started slowly printing and once it finished he ripped it out. He looked it over then stuffed it into his pocket that was in his cloak and walked over to his weapons. He just took a regular blaster pistol and stuffed it into his pocket. He replaced his hood, making sure his face wasn't visible, and left his hideout.

**Local Pool Hall**

"Eight ball quarter pocket!" Alex yelled out as he hit the cue ball with the pool stick and knocked the eight ball in. He just smiled as he looked at Falco, "I win again, you own three hundred credits."

"That's not fair! You hustled me!" the Avian complained. When they started Alex lost three games real bad, but then Falco decided to take advantage of his winning streak and made a wager. They agreed on ten credits a ball and after the bet was made Alex started winning every single match.

"No I didn't! I just pretended not to be good, then when you wagered money I started to play for real."

"That's hustling!"

Alex just laughed, "I know, I just love pretending not to know."

"Come on, one more time! No more cheating!" he said in a determined voice.

"Fine rack em up!" Alex said walking off to the side.

While he was walking he bumped into some one, "he watch…Alex?"

Alex looked over and saw the person was a husky, but then recognized him, "Bill! Hey how's it going!"

"Man its been a while," he said giving him a friendly hug.

Falco noticed this and walked over, "hey there I haven't seen you in a while."

Bill turned to him, "how's it going Falco?!"

For the next hour the three of them spent time talking at the bar, which was part of the pool hall. It was just the three of them, and the bartender. Bill and Alex enjoyed the time they had trying to catch up. "So how's Fox now a days?" Bill asked taking a sip of his drink.

"He's great, he even found a special someone in is life."

He raised an eyebrow, "really? That's great! So who is it?"

Alex then began to tell him about Krystal and how Fox saved her. He even told Bill about how they started to fall for each other, and he didn't even know it. "And now they're even closer since she joined the team."

Bill chuckled after setting down his bottle, "I knew things would work out for him. So how are things with you?"

He just smiled at that, "perfect, I even met with Sarah again."

That surprised Bill, "What! Dude how did you pull that off!"

"Well-"

"I don't want to hear this anymore," Falco interrupted as he jumped off the barstool. "I'm out of here, good to see you again Bill." With that Falco started walking, with his wings in his pockets, to the door at the far side of the room.

Alex started to follow but was stopped, "Hey you didn't pay your bill!" the badger, who was the bartender, yelled at him.

Alex sighed at that, _'Making me pay again! That's just like him' _he thought as he turned back to the bar.

Falco pushed the door open as he entered an alleyway. He was surrounded in darkness as he looked around, deciding which way to go. He then started walking down a random path, not caring where it took him. He stopped when he heard a noise and looked back. He huffed when he saw nothing but a few dumpsters and trashcans, "Mind must be playing tricks," he said to himself.

He turned back around only to be greeted by a fist that struck him between the eyes. Falco stumbled back, holding the spot that was hit. He looked up and saw the outline of the person who hit him, but couldn't tell who it was because of the darkness. "Hey! What was that for?!" he shouted. The figure remained silent as he started walking towards him. "OK if you want a beating then you got it!" he then charged at the person but he anticipated it and moved to the side to trip him. Falco fell but rolled back to his feet. He looked back only to see the person's foot. Falco fell back to the floor as it connected to his head, making him a bit dizzy. He felt the guy grab his shirt collar and lift him into the air.

The guy then started to punch Avian's gut repeatedly. Falco could only grunt in pain as he kept getting pummeled by they stranger. He then threw a right hook to the face, making him go into a daze and then he slammed the Falco into the nearby wall, and then flipped him onto the ground. He picked up the limp body and then threw him into some trashcans.

Falco started to slowly recover, only to feel the intense pain course through his body. He wiped his wing over his head and saw he was bleeding from his head. He looked up only to see the stranger point a blaster right at his head. He froze, knowing what was going to happen.

All of a sudden the weapon was knocked out of the stranger's hand. He looked only to see Bill and Alex, side by side, pointing their blasters at him. "Step away from him!" Alex yelled. The stranger then jumped back, as the two started to fire at him but they kept missing. They watched as they saw him ran out of their sights and ceased fire. Alex holstered his weapon and immediately rushed over to Falco's side, "you alright?!"

He coughed a bit as he tried to get up, "I'm good…*Groan*" His arms gave way and he fell back down. "I almost had him."

Alex laughed in his mind as he Grabbed Falco's arm and swung is around it neck and lifted him. "Always have to be tough do you?"

He didn't say a word as Bill approached them, "is he alright?"

"I'm not sure."

Bill then reached into his pocket and pulled out a mini flashlight and shined it at Falco's head. He examined his eyes, and injured spot, on his forehead, for a minute and then turned it off, "I'm not really sure but he may have a concussion. Best make sure he doesn't fall asleep for a few hours and I think you should go to a hospital."

"Nah, I'm fine," Falco responded. "Just get us home Alex."

Alex looked at Bill, "You know how stubborn he is. He won't really admit he's hurt." He then looked at the Avian, "What did you do to that guy! He almost killed you!"

"Hey he started it!" he responded back. "He just punched me for no reason!"

"Sure," Alex responded no believing him.

"Alex I'm not really sure why but I believe him," Bill responded. "Why would someone even try to kill him for no reason?"

He then began thinking for a sec, "you got a point, but who was that guy anyway?"

"We can worry about that later but for right now can you just get me home!" Falco complained.

Alex sighed as he started to walk, while supporting his friend. "Good seeing you again Bill, I'll see you again soon!"

" Need any help?"

"No I can take it from here!"

"Alright see you again soon!" he said as he walked the other way.

As they were walking Falco looked and saw something, "look at that." Alex looked and on the ground was the guy's blaster, but it looked a lot different from the other kind he saw but he couldn't figure out why. He leaned Falco against the wall and went over to it while taking out a small cloth. He picked it up with the cloth, so he wouldn't leave any fingerprints, and looked at it more carefully. "What is it?" he heard Falco ask.

He wrapped it up as he put it in his jacket pocket and went back to help his friend. "I'm not sure, but I'll have Slippy look at it later. Right now lets just get you back to the Great Fox." Falco just nodded in agreement as they both started to leave.

A couple of blocks away the stranger ran into another darken alleyway as he slumped against the brick wall. He pulled the sleeve back on his right arm and his eyes widen as he saw blood coming from a burnt spot on his forearm, all caused by a stray laser. He growled in anger because that was the first time someone ever hit him. Out of all the jobs he did, he never once was hit by anything. His mind flashed back and he saw that one wolf there, and he was the one who hit him. _'You're time is coming, just wait.' _With out worrying about the wound he covered his arm up with the sleeve and just walked into the darkness of the alley.

**_A/N: Hope you like, the story is still not complete in my head so it may take a while but i'm trying. Next one will be out Soon._**


	3. Another Attempt

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait but i needed to take a break for a bit, and it helped a bit. **

Two foxes sat on the couch in the den of the Great Fox. The dim light lit up the room as much as it could, reveling the two sitting closer to each other. The den had one couch, a couple of recliners, and flat screen TV, and a small table in the middle. Fox had his arm around her, holding her close to his body, while Krystal rested her head on his shoulder. They both looked at the TV as it showed a romance movie, which fit the current situation at the moment. Right now they weren't paying attention to it because they were eyeing each other. Both of them had smiles on their faces as they looked at each other's face. Fox stared into Krystal's blue eyes while she stared into his jade green eyes. Both of their heads moved closer and closer until their muzzles were an inch apart…but they snapped their heads to the nearby doorway when they heard a groan. Just then Alex and Falco entered, Alex still supporting the Avian. Fox looked at Falco and saw his condition, his clothes ruffled and the bloodstains on his head, and stood up, "What happened?!"

Alex walked Falco to the nearby, blue velvet, recliner and sat him down, "Some one attacked him after he left the pool hall."

Fox then looked at Falco, "what did you do now?!"

He laid back on the recliner as he stared at the ceiling, "I didn't do anything! He just attacked me for no reason!"

Alex stood next to Falco as he spoke, "he let the pool hall before I did and I was chatting with Bill and-"

"Bill?" Fox interrupted. "Bill was there? Man how is he?"

"He's doing great, in fact-"

"Hello!" they heard the avian say, trying to get them back to the current situation.

"Oh right…well I'm not sure but when we left we saw the guy pointing his blaster at him, ready to kill him, but we managed to drive him off."

"What did he look like?" Krystal asked, still sitting.

"I don't know, it was too dark to see him," Falco explained closing his eyes.

"I sort of…he was wearing a black cloak that covered his whole body," Alex looked over at Falco and then smacked him across his face.

His eyes sprang open as he held the spot that was hit, the pain from earlier being renewed, "OW! What was that for!?"

Alex started at him, "you might have a concussion, so you have to stay awake!"

"Next time just shake me!" he responded angrily, still holing the spot as the pain started to subside a bit.

He ignored his words as he looked over at Fox, "where's Slippy?"

He began thinking, "Uhh…I think he's in his lab."

He nodded as he pointed at Falco, "can you make sure that he doesn't fall asleep?"

"Sure," he said. Without speaking Alex left the room and headed for Slippy's lab.

He opened the door as he stepped into the medium size room. His eyes started to look around the brightly lit lab. The middle had a large white table, which had a bunch of beakers and burners on the top with some pieces of paper. Along the walls were black counters, with a couple of built in sinks. They were clear of all equipment at the moment. There were wooden cabinets above, which were closed. He looked to the side and saw Slippy, with his back to him, sitting on a stool. He walked over and saw that he was looking at something though a gray microscope. "Hey Slippy."

He jumped at the sudden voice behind him. He turned and sighed when he saw Alex, "don't do that! Especially when I'm working."

"Sorry but I need you to do something for me." He then explained what happened to Falco and the attacker. "…And then Falco saw this." He then pulled the wrapped up blaster out of his jacket and handed it to him. "It looks a lot different from what I've seen but I can't figure it out, so I thought you might be able to find out."

Slippy took it as he started to unwrap it. Almost immediately his eyes widen once he saw the weapon. He reached into a cabinet and pulled out a pair of gloves, so he wouldn't leave his prints on it. He slipped them on and picked it up to inspect it more. "This weapon is highly modified…and it has a few illegal parts that only the military can use. This barrel is designed to fire at a long range, something a sniper can do." He then started to take the whole blaster apart as he found more. "The metal on this is a alloy that I can't identify, plus the power cell…my god…"

"What is it?" Alex said quickly as he moved closer.

"This power cell…it's a Molten Magnum cell (Made it up) this can melt the flesh off your bones!"

Alex's eyes widen after hearing the information, "aren't those illegal here?"

He nodded, "yes…only because there's a ninety-five percent chance that the power cell can overheat and cause an explosion that can kill the user."

"How could that guy get something like that!?"

Slippy faced him, "he's probably buying them off weapon smugglers."

"That could prove a point…hopefully we won't run into that guy again."

Slippy started to reassemble the weapon and wrapped it back up. "We should report this to the General."

"I guess…but probably tomorrow, I doubt he would be up at the moment."

"Ok, but I'll hold on to this till then."

"Alright," he said walking away. He left the lab and once out he jumped a bit when he saw Wolf leaning against the wall. He looked like he was asleep a few minutes ago since he was wearing his sleeping clothes, which were black sweat pants and a white shirt. "Man you startled me…something wrong?"

Wolf didn't look at him, as he sighed, "I would be careful if I were you. Some of those buyers can be…gruesome. Trust me, I know a lot about smugglers and their buyers."

"It was just a random encounter, I doubt we'll see him again." Wolf didn't speak as he left and headed back to his room. Alex just shook his head as he walked back to the den. Once he arrived he saw Fox sitting down on the couch, Falco was still where he was and Krystal was next to him. He walked closer, "how is he?"

Krystal turned to him after hearing him, "I looked him over and thankfully he doesn't have a concussion."

"That's good," Fox said.

Falco then stood up, feeling a little weak in his legs, "well since I'm in no danger, I going to sleep." Without any help he slowly walked out of the room.

After he left Fox turned to Alex, "So what did you need Slippy for?" Alex then told him about the findings and the contents inside. "What! Are you sure?"

He nodded, "yes, Slippy and I think he's a buyer from a weapon smuggler."

"Well that does answer a few thing. We should inform the General about this."

"I know, but we're doing that tomorrow." He then headed for the exit, "I'll see you tomorrow, night."

"Night," both Fox and Krystal said.

After he left Krystal sat back down next to Fox and he wrapped his arm around her again. "Hopefully it's nothing," he said.

"Me too," she responded.

Fox looked at her and smiled, "Now since we're alone again."

Krystal smiled also as their muzzles met as they kissed each other.

**The Next Day**

Fox and Alex sat in the General's office, waiting for him to arrive. Fox spoke to him the next day about the weapon and asked to see him and Alex in his office. They wanted to bring Falco but he wasn't feeling that well when he woke up, so they let his stay. As they waited their eyes gazed around the room. Pepper didn't have much; all he had was a big wooden desk in the middle, a few cabinets along the wall with more wooden chairs, a couple a golden plaques, and one widow. Just then the double doors behind them opened and the General Pepper walked in and sat in his desk. "Ok now where's the weapon you told me about?"

Alex took the wrapped blaster and set it on the desk, "be careful it has the guy's prints on it."

He picked it up, unwrapped it and took a closer look at it. After a minute his eyes looked up, "Now tell me again how you found this."

Alex then began speaking, "Well Falco and I were out last night and someone attacked him for no reason. Lucky Bill and I were there and we stopped him from trying to kill Falco. And then when were about to leave we found the blaster on the ground."

"What did he look like?"

"Well…all I know is that he was wearing a black cloak, which covered his whole body."

Pepper's raised an eyebrow, "Black…cloak?"

He nodded slowly, "yes…"

"Do you know something?" Fox asked.

He was silent for a sec and sighed deeply, "I think there's a possibility that the person who attacked your teammate is the same person that some of my men spotted the other day."

"What happened?"

"I sent a few of my troops to capture a weapons smuggler we've been tracking…but he was killed by a assassin that also wore a black cloak. He escaped before they could apprehend him."

That surprised the two after hearing the information. "So you're saying that it could be the same person?" Fox asked.

"Possibly. Right now we're keeping an eye out for him in case he turns up again. Right now since we have prints we'll try to match them up," he said as he wrapped up the gun again.

"Can you inform us just incase if it's the same person?"

He nodded, "yes, but only if that is the case." They both nodded as they stood up from their seats, knowing that the short meeting was over, and left.

They both were walking in the long corridor, nearing the exit. "So what do you think are the chance that it may be the same guy?" Fox asked.

Alex shrugged, "not sure…I mean there are a lot of people in this city and it could be anyone."

"But if it's the same person, then why try to kill Falco?"

"Not sure. But maybe-"

He was interrupted when they entered a small intersection and bumped into someone. "Oh sorry…Fox, Alex?"

They both looked and saw a coyote, in military clothes (Not sure what they look like). "Marcus?!" Fox said.

"Man how's it going?!" Marcus said in excitement as he shook his and Alex's hand.

"Great! How about you?" Fox responded.

"Awesome, were you guys headed out?"

They nodded, "yes we were."

"Me too," he said as they both started walking towards the entrance.

"So how's life in the military?"

He spoke without looking, "perfect, I already made sergeant status."

"Really?" Alex said. "How did you pull that off that fast?"

He looked at them with a smile, "I did everything I was told to do, and did more than I was expected to do."

Fox then remembered something, "but I thought you were apart of a spy unit."

"Well…yes I am, but I only do that when it's necessary. I talked with the General and he allowed me to be a soldier for the time being, and the good thing is that I was assigned to Jason's squad."

They both then looked at him, "really? How's he doing these days?"

"He's fine, busy but fine." All three of them left the building and stepped outside. The sky was cloudy so the sun wasn't out, and a small breeze was blowing in their direction. "Well I have to go right now, I have things to do."

"All right, good to see you again," Fox responded as he shook Marcus's hand and then he repeated it with Alex. They watched as he started walking towards another part of the base.

After seeing their friend leave the continued on, towards their parked car. "It was good to see him again," Alex said.

"Yeah, it's good to see him getting up in life." They approached the parking lot and saw their car, a black BMD, parked in empty lot. Fox pulled out his keys, "I wonder if-" he pressed the button on his key chain, to unlock the car, and all of a sudden the car burst into flames as an explosion rang out through out the area. Both of them shield their eyes with their arms, as bright, orange and red, flames engulfed the whole vehicle. After a few more seconds they looked and were stunned at the scene in front of them.

On top of another building, somewhat away from the scene, the cloaked lupine was crouched and looking through binoculars. He growled angrily at what he saw. He lowered the binoculars and put them back in his cloak, as he stood up. _'This may be harder then I thought!' _he thought. He sighed, _'guess I have to go with my next phase, and this time I will get one of them!'_ He turned around as he started running to the edge and jumped off. A new plan had already formed in his head, and this time it was full proof.

**_A/N: hope you like, i'm still trying to form some things but i'll manage. Next one will be out soon._**


	4. A Trap

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, but i needed some time to clear my mind from certain things. I'm a bit better right now, so Enjoy.**

Fox and Alex stared at the charred remains of the car, as some soldiers were looking it over for any evidence. Right after the explosion some military personal rushed to the scene. Some of them brought out fire extinguisher and put out the flames.

The general was right next to them, as he was informed of what happened, asking the two questions on what happened. One of the soldiers, a gray husky, walked over to them, holding a small piece of metal. The General saw him and turned, "find anything?"

"yes," he said holding the metal up. It was dark, thin, and was slightly curved. "There's more pieces of these scattered, and we think its part of a bomb casing."

"So it was an assassination attempt."

"Most likely."

"Try to gather what ever you can, and get some one to check the security footage for anything."

"Yes sir," he said as he walked back to the scene.

Pepper took on last look at the scene before he turned back to the two, "For some reason I'm starting to suspect it was the same person who attacked your teammate."

"We're starting to get that feeling too," Fox responded.

Alex then put his hand under his chin, thinking, "that does make a bit of sense…first Falco, by beating him to death. And now us with that car bomb."

"I urge you all caution, I think this stranger may be aiming for you all."

After the General finished Fox pulled his PDA out and dialed a frequency. The screen was black at first but then Peppy face was shown, _"What is it Fox?"_

"Peppy I need you to gather everyone together, in the den. Something important came up that needs to be discussed."

"_Ok…what happened?"_ he asked, a bit confused.

"It's…we'll explain it later, bye." Without hearing a response he turned off the device and turned to Alex, "come on we have to go." He then turned his attention back to the general, "keep us informed if anything else comes up." He nodded and then the two walked off.

Some time later they were back on the Great Fox and the whole team was assembled in the den, like requested. Wolf, slippy and Alex were seated on the couch, Peppy and Krystal were seated on the recliners, opposite from each other, while Fox and Falco stood. "Ok what did you call us for?" Falco asked as he rested his head on the wall. He was anxious to hear what had to be said and leave; since he still wasn't fully recovered from the beating he received last night.

He stayed silent for a bit so he could try to find the words to explain what was happening. "Someone…tried to kill me and Alex after our meeting."

That caught everyone's attention, "What!" they all responded.

Alex continued for Fox, "he planted a bomb in out car but it detonated after we unlocked it with the remote."

Slippy then spoke, "the remote must have emitted a frequency that set it off."

"That's what I think," Fox responded. "First it was Falco, now us."

"Wait, are you saying that someone is after us?" Wolf asked.

"That's what we think."

Just then Rob 64 rolled into the room and approached Fox, "Sir I just received a message from General Pepper, he said he needed to see you immediately."

He nodded, "alright, thanks Rob." He then turned his attention to the rest of the team. "I'll be right back, but for safety precautions no one should leave here unless I say so."

"What! Why!" Falco complained.

"If somebody is after us I don't want to risk anyone getting hurt." He responded as he headed to the doorway.

* * *

Meanwhile the stranger entered the apartment complex and entered the living room, where all his weapons were stored. He flipped the nearby switch, as the light started to flicker for a couple of seconds before it turned on completely. He just stood in the doorway as he looked around his base. The walls were old and had holes in various spots, only to be covered by his gun racks. The floorboards were cracked and looked like they were about to break through, but they were still strong enough to hold him and everything else in the room. "Need to find a better place," he said to himself.

Just then he heard a beeping sound coming from his, open, laptop. He walked over to it and pressed a few keys to pull up the video screen. The same figure, still covered by shadows, appeared. "What do you want?" The lupine asked, starting to get angry just looking at him.

_"I just wanted to see how your progress was going."_

"Why should I tell you!?"

The figure just laughed after hearing that comment. _"That bad eh?"_

He just growled in anger, "Shut Up!" he then closed the laptop, ending the conversation. He then walked over to his weapon racks and started looking them over. He looked over all his blades, which ranged from combat knives to trench knives. He reached out and grabbed a combat knife, with a nine-inch blade, and stuffed it into his sheath inside his cloak.

He walked over to his pistol rack, which ranged from 9mm's to a .50 cal Desert Eagle and it also had various types of blaster. They ranged from ones that can stun to some that can burn flesh. He reach out and grabbed a custom made blaster that was converted from a Mauser C96. He loaded a regular cell and put it into his leg holster, on his right.

He then turned and walked over to his rifle rack. This is one rack that he loved looking at, all because of the variety he had. He had an assortment of assault rifles, laser rifles, and sniper rifles that ranged from bolt action to semi automatic. He picked out an M40 bolt-action sniper and loaded a few rounds into the chamber and then walked out of the room.

* * *

Meanwhile back on the Great Fox Alex was in his room, lying on his bed, with his eyes closed listening to his stereo, which played some random rock music. His head was bobbing back and forth, a sign showing that he was enjoying hearing what was being played. He opened his eyes as he felt his PDA vibrating in his jacket pocket. He shifted himself into sitting positing and reached for the device. He looked at it and saw that he had a message, and he then opened it.

_Alex I need to meet you right now, it's about you know what. Meet me at that clearing in the park right now._

_Fox_

Alex was a little puzzled at that message, but shrugged it off as he jumped off his bed and headed out his door.

**20 minutes later**

Alex stood in the clearing, waiting. He'd been there for five minutes and Fox hadn't shown up, he figured that he was being held up. He sighed as he looked up at the sky to see the orange-lit sky, a sign that the sun was setting. He kept his head up as he closed his eyes and devoted all his attention to his hearing. He had special talent when it came to his hearing, if he concentrated real hard he could hear the softest sounds around him. It took a couple of seconds but soon he started hearing everything that was around him. He heard the sound of the wind blowing, some leaves falling, and…rustling?

His eyes shot open as he started to look all around, thinking it was Fox. After scanning his surroundings he didn't see anything. Just then something caught his eye, so he looked carefully at a tree in the distance. A glare from the sun was hitting his eyes. As he looked closer he he saw something but then it hit him. He jumped to the side as a loud bang was heard. He rolled back to his feet as he looked back and saw a small hole in the ground. He then realized that he was being shot at and bolted out of the clearing; also realizing that was making him an easier target. He heard more bangs but was quick enough to dodge them just as he entered the cluster of trees. He hid behind a red oak and slid to the ground, trying to catch his breath.

Just then he heard more bangs and the bark above him broke off and scattered on top of him. He swatted the pieces off as he looked up and was shocked to see small holes, where the bullets pierced through the whole tree. _'What kind of rounds is this guy using?!' _he thought. Just then more bullets pierced through, which made Alex abandon his location and run through the park, passing many trees that were there. He stopped once he ran out of breath, breathing heavily, he frantically started looking around his surroundings. He started to calm down once he realized that he lost him.

With a sigh of relief he started to walk down a random path. Just then he heard a twig snap, so he turned his and jumped to the side as he saw a knife coming straight for him. Alex took a few more steps back before getting a better look at his attacker. His eyes widen as he saw the black cloak stranger, the same one he saw the night Falco was attacked. "It's you," he said in a shocked and angered voice.

The stranger did nothing but look straight at Alex, almost waiting for him to make a move. Alex was contemplating on what to do, either make a brake for it or take him down. He took one step back, a big mistake, as the stranger then charged at him. He started making random slashes, but Alex was quick enough to keep moving back while dodging the deadly blade. Alex then reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping the slashes. Alex then threw a punch but he dodged it and kicked Alex straight in his gut. Alex stumbled backwards, clutching the spot that was hit, as he looked back up at the cloaked figure. His eyes widen as he saw the blade coming straight at him. He duck in time as the blade flew passed him and hit a random tree. Alex knew that he didn't have to worry about that at the moment as he then charged at the stranger but he anticipated it and did a roundhouse kick, hitting Alex's head. He stumbled to the ground, as his vision was dazed. He then felt a hand grab him, by his shirt collar, and lift him up. Alex then took the chance and threw a right hook, which was able to connect with the stranger's head, causing him to stumble to the sideways.

Alex then shoulder rushed him, causing him fall to the ground. Alex did a straight punch to the ground but the stranger rolled away, causing Alex to hit the ground and cried out as pain coursed through his palm. He didn't notice as he was kicked really hard in his gut, causing him to fly back ten feet. Alex started to slowly rise but only to start to cough up blood. Intense pain was coursing through his body, as he kept on moving. He vision was starting to get hazy; he didn't know how long he could keep this up. He started to think of ways on what to do next, but he had no choice, so he started to run away as fast as he could. But then he felt something strike his back, followed by intense pain that coursed through his back, as he fell forward. He started using whatever strength he had left to push himself up. He looked back and saw the stranger approaching him, with a blaster in his hand.

Panicking now, he tried his best to ignore the pain; he tried running again only to be shot in his right leg. He rolled back to the ground and was lying on his back, breathing heavily. That was it he was out of strength and couldn't get himself up, or even move. He just lay there, waiting for the inevitable, as the stranger stopped, five feet away from him, and pointed his weapon at him.

"FREEZE!!"

They both heard a random voice yell. The last thing Alex saw was the stranger turning back and firing at who ever it was, before blacking out.

**_A/N: Hope you like, i'm trying hard right now, and i'll try to get back on schedule. next one will be out soon._**


	5. A Clue

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, life has been getting on me lately. Enjoy.**

"That has to be him," Fox stated as he pointed at the figure on the monitor. The General, himself and a soldier, a male panther, were in the security room reviewing a small piece of footage that had captured a small piece of the assassin. It showed him running across the parking lot, near Fox's car.

"And that's the same description my troops told me of."

Fox then looked at him, "So it is the same person."

He sighed before nodding, "afraid so." He was silent for a few seconds, trying to think of something. "Who ever this person is, he's sure causing a lot of trouble."

Fox nodded in agreement. Just then his PDA rang, so he answered it and Peppy's face appeared on the screen, he looked like he was concerned about something. "Peppy what is it?"

_"Fox, Alex is in the hospital!"_

That struck him like a ton of bricks, "What! What happened?!"

_"We don't know, we just received a call saying that he was brought into the emergency room! Once Wolf heard he just rushed out, and I went with him. We're on our way to the hospital right now!"_

"But didn't I say for none of you were to leave at all?!"

"We didn't even know he left, and-"

"Forget it, I'm on my way!" he interrupted and without hearing a response he hung up and turned back. "I'm sorry but I have to go." After that he bolted out of the room.

**10 minutes later**

Fox rushed through the sliding doors, as he entered the hospital. He kept up his pace until he reached the waiting room, where he found Peppy and Wolf sitting. He stopped right in front of them as he tried to catch his breath, "What happened?! How is he?!"

"We don't know," Peppy responded as he stood up and walked over to him. "They haven't informed us yet."

"Do you know anything that happened?" he asked in a concerned voice. All he did was shake his head. Fox sighed in disappointment, he really needed to know what happened and if he was ok. He then looked over at Wolf, who was resting his elbows on his knees while he rested his head on his hands. "You…you ok?'

Wolf didn't say anything at first, he just sighed, "my little brother is hurt…right now I'm just worried."

Fox knew how he felt, he was just as worried and concerned like he was, since Alex was the only family he had left. He especially knew that Peppy was the most concerned, after all Alex and himself were like sons to him when he took care of them after James died. So his concern was far greater then the both of them. Fox then sighed deeply as he sat down next to the two.

The three of them sat in the waiting room for the next ten minutes, and then they saw one of the doctor's, a female black bear, walked out of the double doors. Fox stood up, as did Wolf and Peppy, and walked over to her. "Fox McCloud?" she asked.

He nodded fast, "yes, how is he?"

"He's fine, he had a couple of blaster bolts hit his leg and back but nothing sevear. He'll be fully recovered in the morning, but we're going to keep him here overnight for observations."

That relived them a bit after hearing the news. "Can we see him?" Wolf asked.

She nodded, "yes, but don't stay that long he'll need his rest. He's in room 405." With that the three of them made their way to the elevator.

The door opened and the three entered the room, the lights were dim and a little could be seen. As they walked in further they saw Alex laying on the hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown, his eyes closed, breathing softly. "Alex?" Fox said.

Alex opened his eyes and turned his head. He smiled as he saw the three, "hey…" He then tried to sit up but a bit of pain shot through his back.

Fox saw him wince in pain, then rushed over to him, "don't try to stand up, you might hurt yourself more."

Alex nodded as he laid back down. Peppy and Wolf walked in also, and the three of them sat down in the chairs nearby. Wolf spoke, "Are you alright?"

"Fine...Still in pain, but i'm fine." Hearing that made Wolf relived.

"what happened?" Peppy asked.

He closed his eyes as he spoke, "I was attacked…by the same person that attacked Falco." All three of their eyes widen as they heard this. "I tired fighting back but he got the best of me. I was out of strength and thought I was about to die but…someone saved me. I didn't get to see who it was because I passed out."

"But why did you even leave the ship?" Fox asked. "I told you not to leave without me saying so!"

That gave Alex a confused look, "What do you mean? You told me to meet you at the park."

That confused Fox also, "what? I never told you to do that."

"But you sent me a message."

"Message? What Message?" Fox asked, now more confused.

He reached into the drawl next to him and pulled out his PDA. He pressed some buttons then held it out, "this message."

Fox took it and read it over. His eyes widen as he finished it, "I never sent this! How did you get this?!"

"I don't know, I just did."

Just then they heard the door open and they all turned to see General Pepper and a couple of police officers behind him, a retriever and feline. "General, what's going on?"

"I thought I'd come by and see how Alex is doing…plus these two have something to say."

"What are they doing here?" Peppy asked.

He looked at Alex, "these are the two that saved you earlier."

The Feline spoke, "we heard some gun shots nearby and we decided to investigate, and we found you and the attacker."

That surprised Alex, knowing that they saved him. "Well…I thank you two for saving my life."

"It's our job," the retriever responded.

The feline then walked closer to them, "There's something else that we need to inform all of you all on." He then reached into his front pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "The assailant dropped this when he ran away, and I don't think he noticed…this is something that you all need to see," he spoke as he held it out.

Fox moved closer as he took the paper and started unfolding it. He looked at it and then his eyes widened. "What is it?" Peppy asked.

"This explains why he's after us," he said as he held it out for all of them to see.

Target: Star Fox

**Targets bounty**

**Fox McCloud- 25,000**

_**Alex McCloud- 23,000**_

_**Peppy Hare- 18,000**_

_**Falco Lombardi- 20,000**_

_**Silppy Toad- 18,000**_

_**Wolf O'Donnell- 30,000**_

They were all shocked after reading it, that the whole room was silent. It was like that for a minute until the General spoke, "then that confirms it. He's really after you all."

"But something doesn't make any sense," Wolf said as he grabbed the paper from Fox. "Why is the price on me the highest? But the weirdest thing is that Krystal's name isn't on here."

"That's a big relief to me," Fox said. "But it is weird, she had been apart of the team for a few weeks now."

"This isn't really making any sense," Alex said crossing his arms.

Wolf had his left arm crossed while he tapped his finger, of his right hand, against his head. All of a sudden he stopped, "Wait…I think…think I may know who's behind this."

They all looked at him. "Who?" Peppy asked.

"Some one I should have suspected from the beginning," he responded by turning to them.

* * *

In the abandon apartment complex the cloaked lupine was typing on his laptop. He was furious, right before he could kill his target the cops interfered and he had to retreat. Right now he'd reached his limit and was going to end it. The video screen appeared on the laptop and the same shadowy figured appeared. _"Yes?"_

He was growling as he started to speak, "you can find yourself another assassin because this one is leaving!"

"_Oh, what's the matter? This one too much for you?"_ he spoke, trying to irritate him more.

"I don't have to explain my reasons to you! All I'm saying now is that I'm done working for you!"

There was a long silence as the tension grew. The figure did a long, deep, sigh, _"Fine! Saves me the time for firing you later!"_

"But first, tell me who you are!" he demanded.

Again there was a long silence that lasted about a minute. _"Just call me Mr. Powalski."_

**_A/N: hope you like, this one may not be my best but i tried. the next one should be better._**


	6. Still Going

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait it just that a whole lot of things went on and I sort of had writers Block. it may not be much but enjoy.**

Silence fell upon the room after Wolf spoke. After a couple of minutes it started to make to sense to everyone, except the General. "Leon? You mean Leon Powalski?"

Wolf nodded, "yes, I know he's behind this!"

"But how do you know?"

"First off he escaped from us back when he tried to poison the city's water supply, so I know he's still alive. Second, I know his style, he would hire some to kill us instead of himself…especially me, since I'm a traitor in his eyes."

Pepper just nodded as he listened, "Good points."

Wolf continued, "One last thing is this list. Leon's hatred for me is the reason why the price on me is the highest."

Hearing Wolf talk about the list made Fox ask, "But what about Krystal? Why isn't she on there?"

He looked over at him, "He doesn't know about her yet, so she doesn't exist to him." That put Fox at ease, knowing that she's safe from danger.

Peppy spoke, "So if we find this assassin we can find Leon?"

Wolf shook his head, "No, he wouldn't be that stupid. He would try to maintain contact from a distance." He then rested his right elbow in his left while tapping his head with his finger. "And I doubt Leon would give away his location to anyone."

"So…what now?" Alex asked.

Fox turned to him, "We find the assassin first, as long as he's still at large we're still in danger."

"But I'm stuck here until tomorrow, doesn't that make me an easier target to him?" Alex asked.

Pepper then spoke, "I already thought of that, so I am going to have a couple of soldiers to watch over you till tomorrow."

"Who?"

He just turned to the two officers, "Tell the two outside to come in."

They didn't say anything as they walked out of the room and a couple a seconds later Marcus and Jason walked in. "Hey Alex, looks like we're your guardian angles tonight," Marcus said jokingly.

Jason then smacked him in the back of his head, "Knock it off."

Fox smiled at them, "good to see you two."

"Although I wish it was under different circumstances," Jason said.

Fox then looked at Alex, "We have to go and inform the others on what's happening. We'll try to be back soon; will you be ok for now?"

"I'll manage," was all he said.

* * *

At the apartment complex the lupine was busy, typing on his laptop. Even though he quit on his contact he still was going after one of the targets. He was determined to finish off the wolf from earlier, not because he survived but because he was the first one to ever hit him.

Right now he was hacking into the local hospital data files, he knew that he would be at one of them and was trying to find out which one. After a while he smiled as some information appeared on the screen.

**Corneria General Hospital**

_**Alex McCloud- Room 405**_

_**Schedule release: Tomorrow morning at 8.A.M **_

He looked at the info for a few seconds before closing the laptop. He stood up and walked over to his weapons rack and started loading up. He took two M69 Mauser converted blasters and placed them into his left and right chest holsters. Then he took a .50 cal Desert Eagle and put it into his right leg holster.

He then walked over to another rack and looked at the rest of the guns he had. He reached and grabbed a Winchester M1887 shotgun with the stock cut off. He grabbed a medium sized bad, next to it, which held thirity buckshot rounds. He opened it and took out five shells and loaded them into the gun. He stuffed the bag into a pocket, inside his cloak, and slid the shotgun into a holder inside the cloak.

He walked over to his rifle rack and looked over all that was on there. He reached up and removed a Zastava M93 Black Arrow bolt action sniper rifle. He took out the clip, to check if it was full, and loaded it back in. He took the strap and slung it over his shoulder and walked to a small metal crate. He opened it and took out a grappling hook launcher, with a 50 foot stand of rope. He held on to them as he walked out of the room.

* * *

It has been a few hours since Fox and the others left, and visting hours had ended a long time ago. Marcus and Jason were currently standing outside the room, because Alex asked them to step out for a bit. Marcus was leaning against the wall, arms folded, while Jason was standing infront of him, both talking about random things. Jason then looked at his digital wrist watch and wathced as the black numbers blinked '12: 25' He sighted as he looked back at his compaion, "Less than eight and we're out of here," Jason announced.

"Come on it can't be that bad, can it?"

Jason just shook his head, "All we're doing is waiting, and trust me it can get boring."

"You just need to know how to entertain yourself."

"The only entertainment I'm going to do right now is go downstairs and watch myself make some coffee, It's the only that can help me get through the night." Without hearing a response Jason started walking off.

Marcus laughed after hearing that last comment. He then rested his head against the wall as he shut his eye, but snapped them open when he heard a noise coming from Alex's room. He faced the door as he kept his hand on his blaster, on his right belt holster. He placed his hand on the knob and slowly started turning it. He slowly pushed forward, only being able to see the light inside. Once opened far enough he stuck he head through the opening to look around. He only saw Alex…out of bed and fully dressed. Marcus then opened the door fully and entered. "Whoa Alex what are you doing?!"

Alex snapped his head towards him, after a couple of seconds he spoke, "I have to get out of here!"

Marcus approched Alex and placed his hands on his shoulders, keeping him in place, "You're not allowed to leave until morning-"

"I'm not safe here! Look I just have a feeling that something is going to happen-"

"You're just paroniod," Marcus assured him. "Almost getting killed can do that to you."

"But I can't shake this feeling, and it's freeking me out," Alex spoke as he tried to escape Marcu's grasp, but he held on with a tight grip. "Let Me…Go!"

"Nothtings…going…to happen!" he said as he struggled to hold on to him.

Alex used all of his strenght and pushed Marcus away from him, but suddenly after that the glass window shattered as a long bang was heard. Marcus rushed behind the bed, and went prone after hearing the bang. Alex ran and slid behind the bed and went prone also. Four more bangs were heard, but this time they heard something hitting the bed, tearing the mattress and causing the cotton to fly out. It was then that it dawn on them…They were being shot at.

**_A/N: Hope you like, I'll try to get the next one up quicker. It may not be much but it tried. _**


	7. Chased

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, but I should be able to upload faster now. Again this is a short one, so Enjoy.**

Alex and Marcus kept their heads down as more shots were fired at them, but they were still protected by the bed. "It's him!" Alex yelled.

Marcus automatically knew who he meant, but the problem was that he didn't know where he was. He would check, but he couldn't without getting shot. After a few seconds the shots stopped, and silence filled the room. Marcus waited a couple of seconds before slowly rising up and peeked his head over the bed. Just then he saw something flying towards him. He ducked as a something flew above them and into the wall behind them. They both looked and saw a long, thin piece of metal sticking out, with a piece of rope tied to the end of it. Their eyes followed it and saw that it lead to a building across from the hospital. Alex and Marcus stood back up and kept looking out the window. They saw someone sliding on the rope and approaching them fast. Alex then panicked as he started to walk to the door. "He coming!" he then bolted out of the room.

Marcus saw him leave, "Wait!" He took a step forward but then heard a loud thump. He looked over at the window and saw the assassin, who was crouched on the shattered glass after landing. Marcus saw him slowly rise, and then he reached for his blaster but he was too slow as he saw the assassin quickly pull out a shotgun and fired at him. The force of the shot caused him to stumbled back until he hit the wall and then fall forward on the ground. A surge of pain coursed through his torso, as he slowly tried to get back up.

He raised he head and saw the assassin walk past him, with the shotgun pointed in the air, and out the room. Once out of sight he slowly pushed himself up and sat against the wall. He was breathing heavily as he unzipped his ACU jacket and opened it. Underneath was a bulletproof vest, with holes where the pellets tore through. Luckily the vest stopped them before it penetrated his skin, but he could still feel them touching his skin. He then reached and removed the straps on his shoulders and sides. He winced as he pulled the vest off and threw it to the side, since it was useless now with all the holes in it.

He reached for his radio and inputted a frequency. He pressed the button on the side, "Jason…come in!"

He heard static for a few seconds and then it cleared, "_Jason here, Marcus what happened?!"_

"The assassin is in the building, he chasing Alex! Radio HQ, I'm going after them!" Without hearing a response he shut the radio off and slowly got back to his feet. He picked up his blaster, which he dropped after hitting the wall, and ran out of the room.

Alex ran down the hallway, passing many doors and hospital staff. He turned a corner and pressed himself against the wall, breathing heavily. He heard some screams coming from the hall he was in. He then looked around the corner, and was startled to see the assassin walking towards him. He saw him point his gun at him but withdrew his head as he heard him fire. The shot hit the corner, breaking some of the plaster off the wall. He wasted no time as he bolted down the empty hall.

The assassin cursed himself, since he missed. He continued walking down the hall, passing the staff that ran away from him in fear. Just then he saw someone jump out of the corner, a cheetah wearing a light blue outfit, "Security!"

He wasted no time as he pointed his gun and pulled the trigger. The shot connected and the security guard stumbled back and fell to the ground motionless.

* * *

Back on the Great Fox everyone was gathered back into the den. Fox, Wolf, and Peppy explained what happened at the hospital, and showed them all the list. They all were shocked at the news they received, and then Fox explained what they were going to do next. "So…how are we suppose to find this guy?" Falco asked, leaning against the wall.

Fox just shrugged, "I'm not sure about that…I'm afraid that we're going to have to let him find us."

"That's too risky," Wolf said, also leaning against the wall. "Who knows what'll happen the next time he attacks."

"I'm with Wolf," Peppy said. "We don't know what he's truly capable of, so we won't know what'll happen."

Fox then began thinking, "Then we're going to need another plan, but-" he was interrupted when he heard a beep coming from his PDA. He took it out of his coat pocket and turned it on, _"Fox can you hear me!?"_

Fox automatically recognized the voice, "Jason? What is it?"

"The assassin is in the hospital! He's after Alex!"

Concern automatically struck Fox like a ton of bricks. He looked up and saw that Wolf bolted out of the room immediately, after hearing that. "We're on our way!" without hearing a response he turned the PDA off and ran out of the room.

Alex turned into a small hall and stopped in front of a double door. He turned he handles and pushed but he found that the door was locked. He quickly ran back the other way but when he turned the corner he saw the assassin and jumped back as he heard him fire the shotgun. The assassin caught with him and now he was trapped. Franticly he looked around the small hall, trying to find another something to help him. He then saw something on the wall, and got an idea.

The assassin had his target cornered, he saw him turn into that hall way and then try to run back in his direction, a sign showing that he's trapped. He walked slowly, keeping his shotgun pointed forward. Step by step he was getting closer until he stopped just before he turned the corner. He waited a couple of seconds and then sharply turned into hall, but he heard a hissing sound and was hit by some white smoke. It was a cold substance, and it blinded him for a moment. The hissing stopped and then he felt something blunt hit him on the side of the head, which cause him to drop his gun and fall to the floor. There was a ringing sound in his head as he tried to recover.

Alex saw as he the assassin fell to the floor and dropped the fire extinguisher he just used. He walked over, grabbed him by his cloak and yanked him up, but then felt a sharp right hook to his face. He stumbled to the side but managed to regain his footing and looked to see him pulled out a Desert Eagle. Alex then rushed him and tackled him against the wall. He grabbed onto his wrist and kept the gun pointed up. But then the assassin kneed him in his gut and launched a haymaker to his head. Alex stumbled and hit the nearby wall. He head was ringing as he fell to the floor. His vision was dazed, but it took a few seconds before it cleared. The first thing he saw was the barrel of the assassins' gun pointing straight at him.

**_A/N: Again sorry for it being short. I'll try to make a longer one next time. _**


	8. Located

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for the wait, i've been really, really busy. I hope you enjoy this. **

Alex's body went stiff as he stared at the gun barrel that was pointed at his head; his heart rate increased. He froze completely as he waited for the inevitable. A few seconds past and…nothing happened. Alex saw the assassin just standing still, not budging. He was then shocked to see him lower his gun and held it at his side. He just stood there, looking at him. Just then a voice broke him out of his strange trance, "Don't move!"

Alex looked behind the assassin and saw Marcus standing across from them, aiming his blaster at the assassin. The assassin just looked behind his shoulder and stared at him. In a flash he turned and shot Marcus's weapon out of his hand. Marcus stood there, shocked at what just happened. Before he could blink he felt himself being pinned against the wall. Marcus felt a vice grip settle on his neck before it lifted him off the ground. He struggled to break free but stopped when his head was an inch apart from the assailant, "You can stop following me now…or else."

Before Marcus could respond the assassin threw him against the opposite wall, he landed forcibly next to Alex.

They both watched as the assassin silently walked around the corner and out of view. Once gone Marcus used the wall as support and lifted himself up, and said to Alex, "You alright?"

He finally calmed down and picked himself up, "Uh…yeah. What was that about?"

Marcus stayed silent for a second, trying to infer an answer, "I'm not sure but…never mind, lets get out of here." Alex nodded in agreement as they rushed out of the hall.

About five minutes later General Pepper and a dozen soldiers arrived, so did Fox and Wolf. They were all gathered in the lobby. Then the general and the soldiers began questioning the staff, getting their view on what happened, while the rest of them were on one side of the room against the wall. Alex was sitting down, with Wolf next to him and the rest standing, telling them exactly what happened. "…And then he left. It was like…I'm not really sure how to describe it."

"Man that's strange," Jason said. "Something must have happened with him."

"So…does that mean he's not after us anymore?" Wolf then asked.

"Possibly," Marcus answered. "He…he said something to me before he left." All their eyes were on him now. "He said, 'You can stop following me now…or else,' does that confirm it?"

"Maybe," They heard the General say, since he overheard them. "But you should still be cautious."

They all looked at each other in silence, letting the words sink in. "What did the staff say?" Jason asked.

"Some of the nurses and doctors saw him, but ran when they saw he was armed. Sadly a couple of security guards were killed."

"Anything else?" Fox asked.

He shook his head, "No, but unfortunately no one was able to see him escape, so we're back right where we started."

They were all upset at the news, since he was, unfortunately, free again and could strike at anytime. After a minute Fox motioned to Alex and Wolf that it was time to go. He then faced the General, "Well we're going to go now, since the doctors decided to release Alex early because of what happened. Keep us updated if you find anything."

"Will do," Pepper said as he saw them leave through the main doors.

Once outside Alex spoke in a voice quiet enough just for the three of them to hear, "There's something important I need to tell you guys once we're back home." Fox and Wolf wondered what it was but decided not to ask until they got back.

They entered the den, and surprisingly everyone was still there. They all looked at them when they entered the room. "What happened?" Krystal asked.

"A lot," Alex answered as he sat down on the nearby couch. He then explained all that happened, and they were shocked when he said that the assassin left instead of killing him.

"That doesn't make any sense," Falco said. "Why would he chase you, and not kill you in the end?"

"Marcus thinks that he's done chasing after us," Wolf answered.

"But what could make him change his mind?" Peppy asked.

"Why don't we go and ask him," Alex said.

They all looked at him, with confused looks on their faces. "What do you mean?" Fox asked.

"That's what I was going to tell you guys," he said with a smirk. "But first you got to promise not to exclude me on this."

"It depends on what it is," Wolf responded.

"Then I'm not saying."

They stayed silent after that, thinking over what to do, but in the end they gave in, "Fine, what is it."

He turned to his head, "Slippy do you remember that program you showed me a few days ago?"

He began thinking which one he meant, "You mean the tracing program?" Alex nodded. "What about it?"

"I took the locating chip, and kept it with me just in case."

His eyes widen after hearing that, "You mean you had it all this time?!"

"Yes and I'm sorry about that," he then turned to the others. "While I had him stunned I managed to slip the chip into one of his pockets, so now we can find him."

They were all surprised at what he said; they could finally get him. "Slippy get the tracker!"

He didn't need to be told twice, he jumped up and rushed out of the room and to his lab. A minute later he returned with a rectangle shape handheld computer. They saw him tinkering with it for a bit before his eyes widen. "I have the location!"

"Where is it?" Fox asked.

"Some abandoned apartment complex on the west side of the city."

"We have him now. We can get him right now if we leave, or we can wait and inform the General. What do you guys think?"

Silence fell upon the group as they were trying to decide. Just then Wolf spoke, "I'd rather go now, I want to teach that guy what happens when he messes with my family."

Alex was next to speak, "Now would be good, I want to know what was with him back there."

After hearing those responses Fox looked at the others, "So it's agreed that we go now?" They all agreed.

Half an hour later the team were in front of the complex. Everyone, except Peppy who decided to stay behind, was in the car, waiting for a good COA. Slippy was checking over the signal and spoke, "It says he's somewhere on the top floor."

"Well let's get to it, but be careful."

With that they all got out of the car and headed to the front doors. They all lined up on the side of each door. Fox reached, turned the knob while holding his blaster forward and slowly opened it. After it was fully opened they all filed inside one by one, walking into the darkness of the lobby. Fox, Krystal, and Falco each pulled out a flashlight and shined the light throughout the room. They saw a check in desk to the right, double doors in front of them, a small sitting spot in the center, a couple of elevators and a set of stairs to the right. They all walked to the center of the room, keeping an eye out for anything. Fox turned to everyone else, "Up the stairs."

They all nodded and started to walk up the stairs, trying to be as quiet as they can. They followed the signal as they kept ascending until they made it to the top floor. There were three halls leading in different directions, but the signal lead them down the middle hall. They kept to the wall, and kept following the signal until they came upon one of the doors at the end of the hall. Fox gave his team a signal to be ready for anything and slowly reached for the doorknob and turned it. He slowly opened the door and walked in.

He walked into a small hall, which lead to the den. They all entered the den and were surprised to see the set up the assassin had. The light in the room was on, showing the laptop in the middle of the room, and all the weapons that were hanging on the racks on the wall. "Man this guy has enough weapons to start a small war," Wolf said.

"Where does this guy get this stuff?" Falco asked.

"Probably the black market," Alex answered. "But the better question is where is he?"

"He's still probably still out," Fox answered. "But that doesn't make sense. The signal is coming from this room, but he's not here."

Just then Slippy noticed something on the stand, where the laptop was. He walked over and picked up a small chip. His eyes widen as he figured out what it was. "The locater chip is right here! That means-"

"I knew you all were coming!" A voice interrupted. They all looked at one of the doorways and saw the assassin enter the room, unarmed. They all automatically aimed their blasters at him but he held out a detonator. "Don't even think about!" They all jumped a bit as soon as he pressed the button and held on to it, but nothing happened. "There's enough C4 around here to level this whole entire building. Once I let go, none of us are walking out of here!" They all held their ground, franticly thinking what to do, to escape this predicament.

**_A/N: Again sorry for the wait. I'll try harder to take less time for the next chapter._**


	9. Temporary Alliance

Everyone nervously stared at the assassin and his hand-held detonator; the assassin gave no indication of moving. Fox was put at ease as soon as he realized an obvious fact. "The assassin isn't going to kill us. If he wanted too then he would've done so the moment-"

"You all entered the building?," the assassin finished, "Correct, but that doesn't mean that I won't still kill us all."

Understanding that the situation they were placed in had no room for negotiations Fox asked, "What do you want then?"

"What do I want? I just want to have a nice chat, if that isn't too much to ask for." He said as he lowered his arm to the side. "As I'm sure you've all realized by now, I've given up on the wild goose chase."

This revelation wasn't too shocking since they were expecting it. "How come?"

"The answer is quite simple, or maybe it isn't for you folks. The thrill of the hunt has died away.

"Is that why you didn't kill me?" Alex inquired.

The assassin shook his head, "You earned yourself my respect that fateful night when I beat your friend in the alley," He responded as he motioned to Falco.

Falco's feathers vibrated in frustration but he managed to keep it hidden.

Axel was still confused. "What do you mean?"

"That night when you and your friend intervened, you managed to hit me…ever since I was an assassin no one has ever been able to land so much as a scratch on me. You were the first one and I couldn't let that go." He explained.

Wolf growled, "And that's the reason you almost killed my brother?!"

"Wolf calm down!" Fox tried to reason with Wolf.

"Don't you care Fox?!"

"I do, but now's not exactly the right time to be making the assassin mad!" Fox motioned to the detonator that was still in his hands.

"You should listen to your friend. He-

But the assassin was suddenly interrupted before he could finish his sentence. A monotone beeping resounded from the laptop on the desk. He took a quick glance at it before training his steady gaze back to the group. "Don't do anything stupid."

He quickly went to his laptop and four screens popped up, showing various areas from within the building. In one screen it showed the lobby, flashlights dancing across the room along with the people that held them. The new intruder's identities were well hidden behind black clothing.

The assassin switched to another screen showing the stairs; this revealed that there was more than one group of intruders within the vicinity of the ancient building. He frowned as he shut his laptop before rushing over to a duffle bag near the gun racks.

"What exactly is going on here? Were you expecting more company?" Fox asked.

"It seems that my contractor sent his men to dispose of me. Lucky us."

He pulled a small pin from the detonator and concealed it within his pocket.

From the duffle bag the assassin procured an ancient shotgun. Fox, who was knowledgeable in ballistics, immediately recognized the model as being a Spaz-12.

"Who was your contractor?" Wolf asked.

"A certain Mr. Powlaski. Not sure if that's his real name or not."

Wolf growled in disgust, "It's definitely Leon."

"I presume that you know each other well?"

Wolf nodded.

"Is that so?"

The assassin pumped his shotgun and stood up. "Well they're in for a surprise. But it won't be much of a surprise with only me."

Understanding what the assassin was hinting at, Falco objected vehemently. "And why should we help your sorry ass?"

"The answer is quite simple. Did you or did you not take notice of just how many hired mercenaries that we're up against? You'll never find a safe passage without my help." With that being said he reached back into the bag a grabbed a small brown box: C4.

The assassin ignored their cautious stares and calmly strode to the front door.

One by one each individual reluctantly gave in to the assassins proposition.

They quickly moved to the front door, half expecting him to open it and throw the C4 out into the confined hallway. Instead he was planting the explosive on the door.

"I suggest you step back."

"So…you plan on giving us a name anytime soon?" Fox then asked.

"Just call me Zeke. Follow my lead and everything will flow smoothly."

While Zeke listened for the intruders at the door Fox and Wolf both confiscated a weapon from the gun rack. Wolf picked up a medium sized rifle, cell powered, while Fox choose a small handgun looking contraption.

Outside the room eight men zoned in toward the shut door. As they neared the door the group began breaking off and hugging the wall for protection. Four men flanked the back as the front two approached the door. They nodded to each other and each of them pulled out a small hand grenade...

Zeke moved away from the door as quickly as he could when he heard the quiet thumps of their footsteps. He activated the second detonator.

The door exploded and sent parts of the two men flying backward. The two grenades also flew backward and exploded, thus killing two more men. Only two men were still alive...though not for much longer.

Zeke walked out of the smoke and quickly dispatched them. The Star Fox team quietly followed behind in hot pursuit, ignoring the blood splattered walls and the smell of burnt flesh.

"We better quicken our pace. I have no doubt that everyone inside heard it and is moving toward our position." He turned a corner and spotted two more mercenaries with their flashlights bobbing up and down wildly. Zeke swiftly unloaded two more rounds and put out their lights forever. He pulled back as more began flooding into the hallway.

Wolf peered around the corner and immediately ducked back to avoid earning another eye-patch. He blindly aimed his rifle around the corner and squeezed a couple rounds out with some difficulty; he was rewarded with screams.

They all lined up against the wall as gunfire and smoke filled the air. "What now!?" Fox yelled over the deafening noise.

"Now we find an alternative route since our main one is cut off." Zeke calmly replied as he kicked open a door. They all rushed into the room and made their way to the living room. Zeke removed the floorboards, revealing a ladder underneath. "I always have a Plan B and a Plan C in mind before executing Plan A."

"So just how many escape routes you go?" Fox asked.

"Enough" was the only reply.

They all climbed to the bottom where they were dropped into a small room. Zeke was already at the door and preparing to leave the safety of the room. After a couple of seconds he closed it. "There are three of them stationed at the end of the hall." He grabbed his shotgun and reloaded. "You two with the guns, you're going to have to cover me and the group the entire time. If we can get to the floor below us there's another ladder that can take us to the second floor."

Fox and Wolf prepared themselves to use their unknown arsenal. They waited for a few seconds before Zeke shoved the door open. Zeke took all three down with one well placed shot. Everyone rushed to the stairs. Once at the railing, Zeke searched for any remaining mercenaries.

While they descended Zeke shot at mercenaries who were trying to get down.

Halfway down Wolf stopped to provide support fire, allowing Zeke some time to make his descent as well. On the next floor Falco looked over the railing to see more mercenaries rushing up to meet them. "We got more coming from below!"

Fox pulled his handgun contraption out and aimed it at the first mercenary who made it to them.; he fired. The recoil from the tiny device surprised Fox as well as shocking him backward. From the small barrel a bright light flew out and disintegrated the poor mercenary. Fox stared in awe at the pile of dust that was left behind. Fox managed to fire off another round before the device overheated and shut off automatically.

"This way!" Zeke shouted as he ran down one of the halls. He ran down the hallway and counted the doors. He finally came to a stop at a brown door without a number and bashed it in with his shoulder.

Inside he pulled apart more floorboards and opened another trap door. The bottom of the ladder led them to an actual room this time instead of a small room. Zeke opened the one window that wasn't boarded.

"There's a dumpster below; Just hop out." Before they could object he was already out the window. Fox sighed as he followed. His fall was cushioned by the surplus of waste inside the dumpster. He immediately hopped out and Krystal fell a moment later.

They escaped from the alleyway and followed Zeke for about 30 meters until he suddenly stopped.

"Why'd we stop right here?" Falco gave him an irritated look.

Zeke didn't reply as he pulled out the first detonator and reconnected the piece he previously took off. He smiled and activated it.

**_A/N: Sorry for the wait. good news is that I have one last chapter, and i'll have it out soon._**


	10. Endgame

**Author's Note:**** Sorry for the wait, but i've been busy moving so I bearly had time to write. **

The peaceful silence that covered the city was suddenly shattered, and replaced with an ear-splitting explosion that could be heard from a mile away. Debris began to spew out of the condemned building as it started to fall to pieces. A giant cloud of dust hovered from the base and spread out in multiple directions. After the dust dissipated all that remained was a large pile of rubble and some small existing fire. The hired mercenaries that were trapped inside either been instantly killed by the rubble or were currently being burned by the flames; everyones thoughts were leaning towards the former assassin

The Star Fox team and Zeke cautiously walked back to the wreckage and looked the site over. They watch in confusion as Zeke walked to the closest fire pit. He then slipped off his black cloak and held it in his hands for a few seconds. Underneath he was wearing a simple black short sleeve shirt, black pants and boots. He then dropped the clothing into the flames and watched as it was consumed and was nothing but ashes in a matter of seconds. "What's up with that?" Falco asked.

Zeke took a deep breath before answering, "Bad memories…ones that are best forgotten."

They then looked as he started to walk off, with out a care in the world. "Hold it!" Wolf suddenly yelled. "You may have helped us, but you're not off the hook!"

His head shook as he faced him, "I have more important matters to tend to besides going to jail."

"Like what!"

He then gave a stern look, "If you think I'm going to tell you, then you have another thing coming."

"Then why don't-"

"Let him go," They all heard Fox say.

Everyone looked at him as if he was a madman. "What!"

Sirens of the police cars blared out in the distance, creating an echo that they all could hear. "If you don't want to spend the rest of your life behind bars, I suggest you move it!" Fox shouted.

Zeke stood his ground before saying, "You don't have to tell me twice." Then he turned and ran into the darkness of the night.

No one else spoke a word as they stood where they were for a few more seconds before Fox started walking. "Why did you do that?" Alex asked.

"I don't know," he responded as he came to a halt. "Lets just get out of here."

"What are were going to tell the General?" Slippy asked.

"I have no idea."

**The Next Day**

Fox sat alone on the bridge of the Great Fox, awaiting a transmission from the general. Apparently he received a message, instructing to contact him when he had the chance. The memory of last night pledged his mind; he didn't know why he let Zeke go but…it felt like something he needed to do. The more he thought about it the more it confused him. He was a wanted murderer and he let him walk, even though it was his job to bring him in. Suddenly a low pitch beep was heard and a holographic head of the general followed. "Yes general?"

"Star Fox I have an update about the assassin." Hearing the statement made Fox tense up.

Was it possible that he knew that he let him go, or what? "We managed to match up the fingerprints on the blaster you brought me. The assassin's name is Zeke Cohen. He was arrested on Macbeth when he and some group destroyed one of the main train platforms. Apparently they found him unconscious and managed to arrest him before he woke up. During processing they took his fingerprints and drew blood from him, for DNA. But shortly after he managed to escape and thing is no one knows how he escaped.

Hearing all that made Fox start to regret his decision, "Is there anything else?"

"Apparently an old apartment complex was demolished last night, and we know that he was behind it. Once the site was under control the police looked through the wreckage and found traces of blood and fingerprints on various objects that survived the explosion. We matched the prints and the blood with his DNA and they matched. To our relief and our knowledge, he's dead."

Fox relaxed after taking in all that was said. He was relieved to know that an excuse was made, but it confused him. How could Zeke's prints and blood have been found if he fled? He decided to play along, "That's a huge relief, thanks for informing me."

"You're welcome. Sorry to cut this short but I have to go."

"Ok, talk to you soon." Pepper nodded as the hologram faded. Once it was gone Fox let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Guess we're in the clear," A voice announced.

Fox jumped as he looked back, only to find Krystal. "Don't do that."

She chuckled, "Sorry but I couldn't resist."

He watched as she moved to sit on his lap, "I don't know how Zeke did it but-"

"It was clever," She finished for him, as she rested her head upon his shoulder.

He smiled as he caressed the back of her head. "I'm glad this ordeal is done with. I really want to put this thing behind me."

"I know, but something is still bothering me," She spoke as she looked into his eyes. "Why did you let him go?"

Fox couldn't avoid her gazed and sighed before explaining. "I…I don't know. Something in my mind told me to do it even though I had to bring him in. For some reason…I have a feeling he's going to be an asset down the road."

**Unknown Location**

In the darkness of a random room Zeke was typing away on his newly acquired laptop. He was searching for something but was having no luck on it. He hit a few more keys before sitting back with his arms folded. As he waited he mind wandered back to the previous night. It baffled him that Fox let him go, but for some reason he decided to return the favor. After they left re quickly returned to the site and planted some traces of his blood and finger prints on some of the surviving objects. He was almost caught but managed to escape in time.

His thoughts were halted as a beep was heard. He instantly went back and pressed some more keys. Just then nine pictures popped up, each one wearing a black cloak like his. He smiled as he shut the laptop, _'I'll find you all…and this time I won't fail' _he thought as he stood up and walked off into the darkness.

**_A/N: Hope you like, feels good to finish this one. I thank all those whose read this and i hope you all will like the next one I make. So for right now here's a scene from the next one._**

**Next Time**

The small group searched the whole entire house from top to bottom but they couldn't find anyone. They all gathered back into the ransacked den after they finished their search. Alex sighed in relief as he holstered his blaster," Safe to say they're not here."

"Damn It!" Marcus yelled as he flipped a nearby table.

"Marcus calm down!" Fox commanded.

"How can I!" he yelled as he picked up a small chair and thrust it at the wall, they all watched as it shattered into pieces. "I can't rest knowing those two are still loose, God knows what they are doing right now!"

"You're not going to find out by being angry!" Wolf shouted. Marcus stared at him, still fuming. "You're not going to get anywhere in the state you're in so I suggest you calm down before I make you."

Marcus just stared at Wolf for a bit. He knew he would make good on the threat, plus he wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do. So he took a few breaths before responding, "What next?"

"I'm not sure," Fox responded. "This was the only lead we received so-"

"Wait what's that," Alex interrupted as he pointed at something in the fireplace.

They all looked over and found a long manila envelope resting in on top the wood. Wolf walked over and picked it up and looked it over carefully. His eyes widen as he saw something on the back. He slowly turned his head and held it out, "Fox…it has your name on it."

That puzzled them all after hearing that. Fox went over, took the envelope and looked it over before opening it. He found a piece of paper inside with some words printed on it.

_Fox you best keep your loved one close; you may never know what could happen._

The message confused him for a bit, but after thinking it over it started to become clear. _'Krystal!' _he thought.


End file.
